The Ohinemuri Gazette AND UPPER THAMES WARDEN; "I will around unvarnish'd tale deliver.' Othello, Act I, Scene 3 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1892.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume I, Issue 45, 22 October 1892, Page 6

The Ohinemuri Gazette AND UPPER THAMES WARDEN; " I will around unvarnish'd tale deliver.' Othello, Act I, Scene 3 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1892.

We have never said much about the local railway. There is not a great deal, to be said for it and we didn't care to speak against it. It is finding a good deal of employment for working man and others, and is as harmless as a chip in porridge per se. If we were compelled to prove, however, its soundness as a commercial speculation, we should resign in favour of some better manipulator of facts and figures than we could ever profess to be. We are too young to know much about these matters, but when we grow older we may pos-Ibly. understand the raisond efre- of a railway sandwiched between a navigable river ami a main road, but of course this is nothing ta do with .«& Our Business Managers at Wellington doubtless have good grounds for foreseeing tha tremendous .ru>h there wiil be foe seats and freight when the line opens, but still we should awfully like to see how the i concern would look on the prospectus of a private company and how many shares the Minister for Public Works would take up. But our immediate trouble is this. It ia very plain that the line is to be

carried on to its natural destination— the Thames, To do this it has, of course, to be carried over the river at Paeroa, and it is common report that the bridge, which will be erected,- is to be a fixed trestle Iridge. If .this be so. it is illegal, inequitable ani unjust, and must be met with the united remonstrances and condemnation of the entire community. The line is some quarter of a mile below the head of navigation, even as. at present, and will cut off the wholes of the Paeroa and OlilneoiUTi townships, if such a bridge as is spoken, of. be> erected.

The impeding of navigable; water* is forbidden by the Public Works* Act, and with very crreat reason. These township*, which will eventually develop into a large town, grew where there are by reason of thei 1 being at the head of navigation. Goods arebrought to the people's very doors, at low freights by Lhe cheapest of all means of transit. Now, a competitor enters in the shape of the railway that can never by fair means compete on the same plane witii water carriage, and by the tyrannical exercise of ifcs* power the Q-svernment who run the show reduces the advantage of, the natural highway in order to add to its own advantages. The Government, if they are believers in fair play, as they assert must do no less thaa erect a swing bridge". It is nonsense to say that vessels can be so fixed as to raise and lower their top gear. We know very well that the owners of the vessels would not do it The Aroha people say that their swing bridge has not been opened for years. If they are so remiss as not to look after their own. advantages*, then so much the worse for them, but they surely don't expeut us to follow such a bad example. We don't compare the two districts anyway. Above the Te Aroha bridge there fe< nothing but the deserted■; village of Waiorongomai, which one punt load of tucker would support for a year, and above that,, the river . meanders* through a starveling country no more to be compared with our up-i'tvei* disv tricts than is*—but there, wehave* no simile for it—the difference is too great for our vocabulary. The. chief uses of the Upper Waihou of late nave been to bring down the Waiorongomai township to Paeroa.

Farther than all, we believe that instead of the head of navigation being taken down the river it will gradually creep upward. It would be' mere child's play for an engineer to banfe: and lock the river to Karangahake, tit for navigation. Take the Clyde, for instance, on the banks of which at. places where the river could almost be walked across there are 1 now immense shipbuilding works . and great depth of water. A sum of' £10,000 wouH be ample to, snag and clear the river, erect retaining: walls where the banks are "low and erect one good lock which would back the water so as to get a draught of four to six feet at Miukaytowri. This wili be dove someday, when a more wide awake class of people take the district in hand. En passant we^ may say we cannot understand that Mahometan languor which characterises a few local people who don't want any roads, would let the' river go hang and while feebJy croaking; and moaning at the powers that be, can do nothing themselves, but cry •■ Kismet, Allah is great and let thing!? rip." And yet these people would be offended if you called..thsem (Jouservatives. l

Our true intent is the advance of the district and therefore when we see anything likely to impede that advance we- are bound to protest against with all our strength arid might and to keep on protesting. And so right here we lodge our protest against .this fixed bridge, and call on our Member, the local body of the district, and th* people themselves, to see that.such an iniquitous job is not perpetrated.

Messrs Hut3on and Pitkethley's new advertisement appears on our twelfth page this sssue. They announce the opening up of a large consignment of spring and summer goods, and we are sure our numerous Thames readers will do well to pay this firms's premises a business visit* The brars band is being renovated and made look as good as new. Heir Kreutzer has taken charge, and, being a thorough musician, w are pretty certain that he will make a success of ;he band this time. There is. a debt of £l& still owiug to Mr J. H. Moore, and we believe steps are to be taken ta pay thia sum as so n as possible. At Fleming and Co.'s weekly sale of fat eatte, which was held on the 19 th- inst., at their yards, Parawai, Thames, they report : —A full market were yarded, and all soldi freely, .steers sold at from £6 12s 6d to £9 17* 6deach, being equal to 26s per lOOlbs. Heifers cold at from £3 153 ro £6 5s each, beicy equ >1 to 23s 6d per lOOlbs. Cows sold at from £5 5s to £9 17s fid each, belntr equal to 22s per lOOlba. A full market of sheep and Limbs were penned and sold as follows :: — Wethers, 18s; ewes, 17s,' lambs, 5s to 9s 6d each. Mr W. Stevensoa, photographer, announces in this issue that he has arrived in Paeroa, and is prieptred to exercise his calling in all its departments. Mr S-ephenson showed 'us some specimens of his work, which are marreSlorasly true to' nature and undoubtedly artistic.. He is staying at Mr CboteV hotels whe»e specimen* can be seen and business arranged. Tke. share list of the Imperial 0..M Co «los«s on. Saturday next. Those who intend taking up shares in this excellent venture! please note; It is expected after th* list is ! closed the shares will immediately command »- tub«tantlal premium.

Mr Billy Barlow, whose Dame is as a household word throughout tke colony, gives his famous enter.tainm.eut at the Town Hall to-night aud Monday. You wil'i never for^ give yourself if you don't go and see him. Laugh !: we should smile.

M. Leon-Driver, th« celebrated pianist, will perform at Paeroaon Monday. 31st inst.;. at Te Aroha en Tuesday, November 1 ; and Wai hi. on Wednesday, November 21 Particulars next issue.

The Native Land Court .opened at the Town Hall on Thursday before Judge Yon Sturm«?r j Mr Hammond, officiating as interpreter, and Tuta as assessor. The "king" has btcn advising local natives to withdraw their cases, but the majority seem inclined' to proceed. . The gale of Wednesday and Thursday d;d » good deal of damage. Messrs Brown, of Karangahake, were the greatest sufferers, — the framework of the Crown Gr.M. Cb.'s battery, for which they are the contractors, being blown down and their footbridge swept away Damage £200. The Waitete bridge. was also destroyed. At Paeroa the flood was at its highest at 5.30 p.m. on Thursday, being about 4 or 5 feet over the wharf. Messrs J. Kenuedy, Albert Moo c, and J. Stewart exerted themselves, to the utmost, and saved a great quantity of Government timber, which otherwise would have been lost. There are several slips reported', an>l the damage to the roads is estimated at about £50. On Monday the Governor remitted the remainder of the sentence on Mr Haggen, of the " Woodville Examiner." for criminal libel, two-thirds of which has been served. He has also remitted the fine of £50. The crew of a Danish schooner which was wrecked at Yarmouth (says a London telegram), attempted to swim a distance of eight miles to the lightship, and although a mountainous sea was running, the captain and the cook succeeded in reaching the vessel Four men concerned in the recent fracas at Waihi between the Dobsoa-Kennedy Company and' the general public were brought up yesterday before Messrs Kenny and Phillips, J. P.'s C. McGlynn was fined £2 jand costs; Bull, 20s and costs; and Roycroft,, 2e 6d and costs, one man being discharged 1.